Pac-12 football players say ‘NCAA has failed us,’ threaten to opt out of season unless demands are met

Players said they will opt out of the season if their demands, ranging from COVID-19 protections to ending racial injustice, are not met.

Football players in the Pac-12 feel they’re not being treated fairly by the conference and NCAA when it comes to critical issues, like health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic freedom, particularly related to the use of their names, images and likenesses. They also want the Pac-12 to address racial injustice in college sports and for leaders to protect the existence of some sports over the depths of their paychecks.

And if they don’t get what they want, they’re going to opt out of the season, they explained in an entry in The Players’ Tribune published Sunday with a byline that simply read: Players of the Pac-12.

In a news release Sunday, via ESPN, 12 athletes identified themselves as representing “hundreds of Pac-12 football players.”

Written with the theme of #WeAreUnited, they demand fair and reasonable treatment ranging from COVID-19 protections — safety wise as well as not losing a year of eligibility for opting out — to a 50-50 revenue share for athletes. They also ask for six-year scholarships “to foster undergraduate and graduate degree completion.”

They wrote, in part, in The Players’ Tribune:

To ensure future generations of college athletes will be treated fairly, #WeAreUnited.

Because NCAA sports exploit college athletes physically, economically and academically, and also disproportionately harm Black college athletes, #WeAreUnited.

In rejecting the NCAA’s claim that #BlackLivesMatter while also systematically exploiting Black athletes nationwide, #WeAreUnited.

Because we are being asked to play college sports in a pandemic in a system without enforced health and safety standards, and without transparency about COVID cases on our teams, the risks to ourselves, our families, and our communities, #WeAreUnited.

Because we must have adequate COVID testing to help protect our health, #WeAreUnited.

Because we are prohibited from securing representation while being asked to sign documents that may serve as liability waivers, #WeAreUnited.

And before listing their demands, they continued:

Because the NCAA has failed us and we are prepared to ensure that our conference treats us fairly whether or not it continues its NCAA membership, #WeAreUnited.

In forming alliances with college athletes from other conferences to unite with us for change, #WeAreUnited.

#WeAreUnited in our commitment to secure fair treatment for college athletes. Due to COVID-19 and other serious concerns, we will opt-out of Pac-12 fall camp and game participation unless the following demands are guaranteed in writing by our conference to protect and benefit both scholarship athletes and walk-ons.

Those demands include:

  • A third party enforcing player-approved health and safety standards regarding the novel coronavirus
  • A permanent civic-engagement task force “made up of our leaders, experts of our choice, and university and conference administrators to address outstanding issues such as racial injustice in college sports and in society”
  • 2 percent of conference revenue serving as financial aid for low-income Black students, as well as benefitting community programs for athletes on each campus
  • The ability to hire representation and earn money off their own name, image and likeness
  • Medical insurance for sports-related issues, including COVID-19, for six years after their NCAA eligibility ends

They call out the NCAA’s archaic rules preventing players, the vast majority of which will not play their sports professionally, from financially capitalizing on “the most valuable years of our lives” while generating revenue for everyone else.

They also want to eliminate “lavish salaries and facility expenditures” — and specifically call for Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to “drastically reduce [his and administrators’] excessive pay” — in order to prioritize sports that have been cut. Specifically, they cite Stanford cutting 11 varsity sports and argue the school should dip into its $27.7 billion endowment to reinstate them.

Now, the NCAA and Pac-12 surely aren’t automatically going to give into the demands of athletes it insists are amateurs. And in a statement Sunday, the conference offered a statement that, unsurprisingly, leaves much to be desired. Via ESPN:

“Neither the Conference nor our university athletics departments have been contacted by this group regarding these topics,” a Pac-12 statement said. “We support our student-athletes using their voice and have regular communications with our student-athletes at many different levels on a range of topics. As we have clearly stated with respect to our fall competition plans, we are, and always will be, directed by medical experts, with the health, safety and well being of our student athletes, coaches and staff always the first priority. We have made it clear that any student athlete who chooses not to return to competition for health or safety reasons will have their scholarship protected.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pac-12 previously announced it will play a conference-only schedule for the 2020 season, and Friday, it announced its schedule with the first games planned for September 26.

Read the full Players’ Tribune entry here.

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LSU football player on COVID face shield: ‘I can’t (expletive) breath under this thing’

The implementation of this helmet could be enormous for NCAA.

The LSU Tigers introduced a face-shield helmet for their players, and a few athletes didn’t not provide a stamp of approval.

The helmet, which essentially doubles as a mask, should help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during the pandemic. The design is an effort toward promoting the safety of these student-athletes. LSU linebacker Soni Fonua brought fans inside the team’s locker room after they received their new helmets.

“I can’t [expletive] breathe under this thing,” he said.

“It’s like breathing in a Ziploc bag,” offensive lineman Austin Deculus said in response.

Here’s at what LSU’s equipment account posted on the “splash shields.”

And here’s a look at how the players responded. Warning: the players use explicit language when talking about the helmet.

Hopefully, the athletes will grow accustom to wearing the new design (so long as it’s not faulty) — much like the rest of America is adjusting to wearing masks. The implementation of this helmet could be enormous for NCAA Football.

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Nevada Football: The Ten Key Players For The 2020 Season

Nevada Football: The Ten Key Players For The 2020 Season Here are the ten key player for the Nevada Wolf Pack for the 2020 season. Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire Nevada Football: The Ten Key Players For The 2020 Season The Nevada Wolf Pack …

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Nevada Football: The Ten Key Players For The 2020 Season

Here are the ten key player for the Nevada Wolf Pack for the 2020 season.

Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire

Nevada Football: The Ten Key Players For The 2020 Season

The Nevada Wolf Pack are scheduled to start the 2020 season in less than a month when they take on UC Davis. But due America being in the midst of a pandemic and Power 5 conferences dropping non-conference games because of the pandemic, who knows if the season starts on time for Nevada or any college football program.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to at least push the start of the season back, I will be continuing my look into the 2020 edition of the Nevada Wolf Pack. This article will look at the top ten players to watch for in the upcoming season. These players will play a factor in whether the Wolf Pack have another successful season in 2020.

Here are my ten Nevada Wolf Pack players to watch out for in 2020.

10. Nathan Edwards- Center

The Nevada Wolf Pack offensive line was at best an inconsistent unit in 2019. The Wolf Pack offensive line gave up 33 sacks last season which was most in the Mountain West. This year, the Wolf Pack does return several offensive line players who had multiple starts in 2019 and one of them is center Nathan Edwards.

Edwards, who is from Reno, Nevada, played primarily at the center position last season as he played in all 13 games and started in nine games for Nevada. For his career, Edwards has played in 26 games for the Wolf Pack.

Edwards is in a competition for the starting center job with fellow senior Tyler Orsini heading into the 2020 season. With the Wolf Pack’s struggles on the offensive line last season, the team could look to Edwards and his experience to bolster the Wolf Pack’s offensive line that is known as “The Union” in 2020.

 

9. Austin Arnold-Safety

Austin Arnold had a career year at safety for the Nevada Wolf Pack in 2019. Arnold, who played in 12 games for Nevada last year, recorded 51 tackles (39 solo tackles) with five pass break ups and an interception. 

Arnold, a senior from Las Vegas, Nevada,is one of the many returning starters from a Wolf Pack secondary that struggled early last season but played well down the stretch. Arnold will be one of the key contributors in the Wolf Pack secondary as they look to continue to improve in the 2020 season.

8. Sam Hammond- Defensive End


In 2019,Sam Hammond had his best season with the Nevada Wolf Pack. Hammond recorded 35 tackles (18 solo) and 1.5 sacks for a Nevada defensive line that really shined late last season. Hammond turned in an very good performance against #24 San Diego State last November where he recorded nine tackles and a sack in the Wolf Pack’s upset victory over the Aztecs in San Diego. Hammond’s performance in the upset over San Diego State won him Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week.

Hammond is back along with Chris Green, Kameron Toomer and Tristan Nicholas as these players look to bolster a defensive line that could be one of the best in the Mountain West in 2020.

 

7. Lawson Hall-Linebacker.

Heading into the 2020 season the Wolf Pack will be without four of their top six linebackers from the previous season. Some notable linebackers from last season that have moved on are Gabe Sewell and Malik Broady.

One of the few returning linebackers with significant playing time is Lawson Hall. Hall, a senior from Harbor City, California, recorded 56 tackles and 1.5 sacks for the Wolf Pack in 2019. Hall is the clear cut lead linebacker for Nevada heading into this 2020 season. Hall is there to go alongside Lamin Touray, Gio Miranda and James Fotofili who is cleared to play after he had surgery to reduce brain swelling following a hit-and-run accident.

Hall is one of the key players on the Nevada defense that looks to continue to improve on their stellar play from late last season into 2020.

6. Romeo Doubs-Wide Receiver 

Doubs showed improvement from his freshman season to his sophomore seasons in Reno. In 2019, Doubs caught 44 passes for 649 yards and scored four touchdowns. His best game in 2019 was when he caught 11 passes for 167 yards and scored a touchdown in the win over New Mexico.

With opposing defensive backs focusing on Elijah Cooks, it is up to Doubs to make opposing defensive backs pay for that by turning in another good season for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

5. Toa Taua-Running Back 

Toa Taua had a breakout freshman season for the Wolf Pack in 2018 as he ran for 872 yards and six touchdowns. Taua’s great rookie season won him the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award for 2018.

But his sophomore season was a disappointment as his yards per attempt dropped due to the struggling and inconsistent offensive Wolf Pack offensive line.

The offensive line looks to be a year older and better and if that is the case, Taua should be able to return to his fantastic freshman season in 2020.

 

4. Tyson Williams-Defensive Back

Williams had a breakout season in 2019 as he led the team in tackles with 85 recorded tackles. The Wolf Pack secondary struggled during the season but Williams was one of the few bright spots in that position group. 

Williams is back for Nevada and is projected to be one of the leaders in a secondary that is looking to improve and elevate the Wolf Pack secondary to better play in 2020. 

3. Dom Peterson-Defensive End

Peterson’s 2019 season was fantastic as he broke out as one of the best defensive line players in the Mountain West conference. Peterson finished second in the Mountain West in tackles for loss (15) and sacks with nine for the year. Peterson was the main reason why the Wolf Pack defense improved late last season.

Peterson, who was named to the preseason All-Mountain West team last Wednesday, should be the driving force along with fellow defensive linemen Sam Hammond in making the Nevada Wolf Pack one of the best defensive units in the Mountain West in 2020.

2. Elijah Cooks-Wide Receiver

Elijah Cooks had a terrific 2019 season for Nevada as he caught 76 passes for 926 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season  His eight touchdown catches placed him tied for fourth in the Mountain West last season.

Cooks is primed to be one of the best wide receivers in the Mountain West in 2020 as he along with wide receivers Romeo Doubs,Melquan Stovall and Cole Turner along with true freshmen receivers Jamaal Ball and Issac Jernigan look to be one of the best if not the best wide receiver units in the Mountain West this season.

1.Carson Strong-Quarterback

The key player for Nevada to watch for in the 2020 season is sophomore quarterback Carson Strong. 

Strong started ten games last season and as most freshman due, struggled early on in the season. But Strong played well to end the season as he threw eight touchdowns and only one interception.  For the season, Strong completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,335 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

 As we get ready to possibly start the 2020 season, Carson Strong, who was named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, is the projected starter at quarterback. And given that Nevada lacks depth at the quarterback position, Strong will need to stay healthy and continue his stellar play from last season in order for Nevada to possibly play for a Mountain West title in 2020.

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The NCAA will let athletes wear social justice messages on their jerseys but still won’t pay them

It’s time to change this.

The year is 2020 and the NCAA is still doing absolutely any and everything but paying the athletes.

The NCAA is allowing its student athletes to wear social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys throughout the upcoming college sports season, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The NCAA’s new policy follows in the footsteps of different professional sports leagues who are allowing their players to do the same, including the WNBA, NBA and MLS.

The athletes will be able to replace their last name with words celebrating or memorializing people, events or other causes they support.

That’s a great thing! It’s nice to see the NCAA allowing these young athletes to support causes they feel strongly about on a big platform.

But. Question. Can they put “pay us” on the back of their jerseys? Because that absolutely falls under the umbrella, though it’s probably not a cause the NCAA sees as valid.

The NCAA is an organization worth billions and it’s all on the backs of these various student athletes who aren’t paid a dime for it. This initiative is beyond hypocritical.

The internet took the NCAA to task for it.

Yeah, the NCAA absolutely had this one coming. They can fix it, though. They just need to pay their athletes.

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Wyoming Football: Previewing Cowboys Offense

Will the Wyoming offense be more than a run-first team?

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Wyoming Football: Previewing the Cowboys Offense


The Wyoming Cowboys offense is a mixed bag of both questions and assurance. You know what you’re going to get, but can they improve their passing game to become something special?


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

The Overall Picture

The Wyoming Cowboys offense will once again rely on the play calling of Brent Vigen, who enters his seventh season as the pokes offensive coordinator. As old fashioned as they come, Wyoming’s run-heavy offense has seen its up and downs, ranking 11th in the conference in yards per game at 336.5 in 2019, and 106th overall. Now, this stat is misleading, given the major injuries the pokes faced, yet is of some concern.

The grit and grind approach is rare in college football today but the Cowboys have found a formula for success. It is hard to find flaws with winning seasons, yet necessary to improve. The lack of a viable passing game is very worrisome, as shoehorning into a one-dimensional offense has not provided the greatest results recently. Wyoming has been in the bottom half of Mountain West offenses since the departure of Josh Allen. The pokes ranked 105th in total first downs in 2019, which dispels the ball control myth.

The pokes managing to still win 8 games with these numbers just goes to show how great of a job Craig has done, but makes you wonder, how special could this program be with a higher-performing offense, and could their offense this year match the great efforts of their defense? Here is my 2020 preview of the Cowboys offense.

Quarterback

The Cowboys will be once again led by the 6’3” redshirt sophomore Sean Chambers, whose toughness and grit is a match made in heaven for the Cowboys. Chambers isn’t your prototypical QB, especially coming from the man who recruited Josh Allen and Carson Wentz.

His playstyle is much more reliant on his feet. I would personally compare his heart and toughness to that of college football legend Tim Tebow. A hard-nosed athletic QB who even through his flaws, finds ways to win. Stats alone do not accurately depict his importance to this team.

The best way to say it, he is a winner. Before going down with a season-ending knee injury on a touchdown run against Nevada, he had led the Cowboys to a 5-2 start, and a 24-3 lead that eventually pushed the Cowboys to 6-2.

His numbers aren’t flashy by any means, throwing for 915 yards with 7 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, but that is not his game. Chambers uses his legs to find success running 567 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns, bringing his total to 17 scores in just 7 and a half games. The biggest leap we would love to see would be with his accuracy. He has shown flashes with solid arm strength but needs to improve as his completion percentage is an abysmal 43.0%.

He will likely be backed up by redshirt freshman Levi Williams, an interesting prospect with a similar play style who provided a desperately needed spark for the pokes when Chambers went down. The potential is there for Chambers and do not be surprised to see him take that jump in the passing game and take the conference by storm.

The Backfield

Wyoming’s bread and butter, perfectly paired with their star back. The running game of the pokes accounted for nearly 60% of their total offense in 2019 and 69% of their plays, to compliment their impressive 214.8 rushing yards per game (23rd in the nation).

There is no question as to who the pokes workhorse will be, as star junior back and 2019 All MW 1st team awardee Xazavian Valladay (who also deserves the award for best name in the conference) returns with high expectations.

Accounting for 1265 rushing yards, there aren’t many backs you would rather have in the country. Valladay averaged 5.1 yards per carry and is set to carry the bulk of the offensive load on his back come 2020.

You also can not mention a great running back in this pro-style offense without giving credit to his fullback Jeff Burroughs, a position that deserves more recognition.

I would not be surprised to see Wyoming lead the Mountain West in rushing this year and comfortably pass their 2019 total, with Xazavian possibly winning the MW player of the year award.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #27, San Diego State DE Keshawn Banks

The young San Diego State defensive end appears on our list of Mountain West football’s best for the first time.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #27, San Diego State DE Keshawn Banks


The Aztecs’ young defensive end appears on our list of Mountain West football’s best for the first time.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Another impact player in the trenches.

It should come as no surprise that, as usual, the San Diego State defense is once again well-represented on this year’s countdown of Mountain West football’s top performers. Defensive end Keshawn Banks is the second Aztecs player on the list.

The New Mexico native emerged as part of one of Rocky Long’s best defenses ever on the Mesa in 2019, starting all 13 games while accumulating 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 13.5 tackles for loss, the last of which was the most on the team and ranked fourth among players in the conference. For his efforts, he was named to the all-conference second team last fall and the preseason all-conference team for 2020 just last week.

Long and some of last year’s stars might be gone this time around, but expect Banks to continue as a serious problem for offensive linemen this year.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #28, Wyoming DE Solomon Byrd

The defensive end emerged as one of the best of a new-look Wyoming Cowboys defense and jumps into our list of Mountain West football’s best.

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2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #28, Wyoming DE Solomon Byrd


The defensive end emerged as one of the best of a new-look Cowboys defense and jumps into our list of Mountain West football’s best.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The best may be yet to come.

You may have heard that the Wyoming Cowboys have a legion of young and productive defenders on the rise in 2020. The next player on our countdown of the conference’s top athletes, defensive end Solomon Byrd, might be the tip of that proverbial spear.

After taking a redshirt in 2018, Byrd came out in his first full year and established himself as one of the Mountain West’s premier freshmen at any position. He racked up 45 tackles while leading the conference’s freshman defenders with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, though it comes as a surprise, in retrospect, that production didn’t earn him even an honorable mention among last year’s postseason honors.

He may not be a household name just yet among college football enthusiasts, but he’s off to a fine start when it comes to belonging in the same conversation as previous Wyoming stars like Carl Granderson and Eddie Yarbrough.

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Nevada Football: Key Players For The Wolf Pack In 2020

Nevada Football: Key Players For The Wolf Pack In 2020 Here are three key plays for both offense and defense for the Nevada Wolf Pack heading into the 2020 season. Nevada Football: Key Players For The Wolf Pack In 2020 With the 2020 season for the …

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Nevada Football: Key Players For The Wolf Pack In 2020

Here are three key plays for both offense and defense for the Nevada Wolf Pack heading into the 2020 season.

Nevada Football: Key Players For The Wolf Pack In 2020

With the 2020 season  for the Nevada Wolf Pack scheduled to start in a little more than a month (maybe it starts on time but at this point, who knows.), I am going to focus on some key players on offense and defense to keep an eye on for the Wolf Pack in the upcoming season that may happen.

Key players for the Nevada Offense

Carson Strong, Quarterback

In 2019, Strong started ten games and while he had an up-and-down season, he did play well towards the end of the season as he threw eight touchdowns and only one interception.  For the season, Strong completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,335 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

With Strong being the clear cut starter heading into the 2020 season, he must continue his stellar play from late last season in order for the Wolf Pack to go bowling for the third straight season and possibly contend for a Mountain West championship.

Elijah Cooks, Wide Receiver

Cooks had break out season in 2019 for the Wolf Pack. The wide receiver from Atascadero, California caught 76 passes for 926 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season. Cooks and his 76 catches placed him sixth in the Mountain West conference in receptions in 2019. His eight touchdown passes placed him tied for fourth in the Mountain West in touchdowns in 2019

Cooks was named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s top wide receiver. Cooks clearly has the talent to be one of the best wide receivers in the Mountain West and possibly in the nation in 2020. The Wolf Pack will need Cooks to be at his best if Nevada wants to be in the Mountain West title hunt.

Toa Taua, Running Back

Taua had an excellent debut in 2018 as he ran for 872 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns. Taua’s impressive debut won him Mountain West Freshman of the year in 2018.

In 2019 however,Taua struggled in his sophomore season in Reno. Despite rushing for 807 yards and six touchdowns, his average yards per carry dropped from 4.9 to 4.1. One of the main reasons for Taua’s drop in his yards per carry was the struggles of the Wolf Pack offensive line and inconsistent quarterback play. 

This season the Wolf Pack offensive line (nicknamed “ The Union”) returns five starters from last year’s unit. And also, the quarterback play for Nevada is solidified as Carson Strong is the starter. With the offensive line and quarterback back for the 2020 season, Taua needs to have a bounce back season to make the Wolf Pack offense a formidable unit in the Mountain West.

Key players for the Nevada Defense

Dom Peterson, Defensive End

In 2019, Peterson had a fantastic season as a sophomore for Nevada. The defensive end from Harbor City, California lead the Wolf Pack with 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Those numbers placed Peterson second in the Mountain West in both the tackles for loss and sacks categories in 2019.

Because of Peterson’s outstanding play for Nevada, he was named first team All-Mountain West as a defensive end for 2019. Peterson is back alongside fellow defensive ends Sam Hammond and Chris Green to make up a defensive line that could be one of the best in the Mountain West conference. And the driving force behind the Wolf Pack’s tough defensive line in 2020 is Dom Peterson.

 

Lawson Hall, Linebacker

Heading into the 2020 season, the Wolf Pack linebacker unit is lacking experience as four of the top six linebackers from 2019 are gone. One of the two linebackers that are projected starters  for the 2020 season is Lawson Hall.

In 2019, Hall recorded 56 tackles and recorded 1.5 sacks while playing in 13 games for Nevada at linebacker. Hall is now leading the linebacker unit for Nevada heading into his junior season. With a lack of experienced depth at the linebacker position, it is up to Hall to be the leader of that unit and turn in a stellar season in 2020.

 

Tyson Williams, Safety

The Wolf Pack secondary had a rough season in 2019 as they gave up 31 passing touchdowns in 2019 which placed them next to last in the Mountain West.

The secondary struggled due to Nevada playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores in 2019. Tyson Williams, one of those sophomores who is now a junior, was one of the bright spots in that unit last season. Williams recorded 85 tackles in 2019 which was tops on the team and in a game against Purdue last season, Williams recorded 12 tackles.

Williams, along with senior Austin Arnold, are the leaders of a Wolf Pack secondary looking to bounce back from a difficult season in 2019. The Nevada defense is looking to improve their pass defense in order to contend for a championship in 2020. In order for that to happen, the Wolf Pack secondary with Tyson Williams must lead the way in improving that part of the defense.

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NFL fans continue to be convinced the Patriots are tanking for Trevor Lawrence with latest opt outs

As more Patriots players opt out of the 2020 season, some fans think the team is looking ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft.

With more New England Patriots opting out of the 2020 NFL season, it seems like football fans have never been more convinced that the team is tanking for Clemson’s junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

As of Tuesday morning, five Patriots are reportedly opting out of the season — linebacker Dont’a Hightower, running back Brandon Bolden, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale and guard Najee Toran — presumably because of concerns about health risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (For The Win is keeping a running list of NFL players who have decided to skip this season.)

Opting out of the season because of the coronavirus outbreak is, obviously, a perfectly acceptable excuse, particularly when there’s a chance players’ health could be jeopardized by a virus that’s already killed almost 150,000 people in the U.S.

And football players were likely reminded of the risks Monday when MLB news broke that 14 Miami Marlins players or staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

But some NFL fans seem convinced that with so many Patriots opting out, the team is officially focused on the 2021 NFL Draft and trying to tank for Lawrence, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound star quarterback who, in 2019, had a 65.8 completion percentage and threw for 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Now, as Patriots fans drool over the idea of getting the No. 1 overall draft pick and taking Lawrence, everyone else doesn’t seem too pleased. Plus, it’s a bit of an insult to Cam Newton, who New England signed to a one-year contract back in June.

But all around, plenty of NFL fans had jokes and Bill Belichick-led conspiracy theories.

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Colorado State Football: 2020 Offensive Preview

Take a look at the Colorado State offense heading into this potentially turbulent 2020 season.

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Colorado State Football: 2020 Offensive Preview


Steve Addazio looks to bring his hard hitting offensive style to the Mountain West.


Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Can the Rams offense take that next step?

The Colorado State Rams offense in 2019 looked like they were going to get back to the offensive juggernaut days of Mike Bobo’s early tenure at CSU. Marvin Kinsey was dismissed from the program mid way through the season and the offense took a big step backwards as the running game was never the same.

Out went Mike Bobo and in came Steve Addazio. The big question Rams’ fans will have is will CSU become a ground and pound team. “That’s a building block to winning a championship…You have to have the ability to run the football,” Addazio said in his introductory press conference. He later clarified that he is oriented towards the talent he has on the roster as a coach.

Now lets breakdown the talent Addazio and Offensive Coordinator Joey Lynch will have at their disposal.

Quarterbacks

Incumbent starter Patrick O’Brien was thrust into the starting lineup when Collin Hill tore his ACL against Arkansas. O’Brien finished 2019 completing 62% of his passes for 2,803 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His biggest strength was his arm strength. O’Brien could throw the deep ball or throw a fastball through a tight window.

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O’Brien’s biggest weakness last season was his pocket presence. The biggest example of this was O’Brien being sacked eight times against Air Force. He had a tendency to step up into pressure instead of away from pressure.

With the departure of Collin Hill (South Carolina) and Judd Erickson (transferred out), the Rams were left with only one scholarship QB in Justice McCoy. McCoy was given multiple opportunities to stake his claim on the depth chart, but could never really make his mark as he struggled to grasp Bobo’s playbook.

This led Addazio to recruit Todd Centeio as a graduate transfer. Centeio in backup duty for Temple last year completed 34 of 51 passes for 444 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 155 yards on 47 rushing attempts. Centeio is more a dual-threat quarterback to O’Brien’s pocket passer, but could still find his way onto the field in special packages for the Rams.

Running Backs

Marcus McElroy is the Rams leading returning rusher with 80 carries for 370 yards and three touchdowns in 2019. McElroy struggled with injuries in the early part of 2019 and never really produced when he became healthy.

McElroy is a big running back at 5’11”, 230 lbs. He also has speed on the outside. He likes to be more of a speed guy, but he needs to run between the tackles more for the Rams to be successful.

Next on the depth chart would be Jaylen Thomas and Christian Hunter. Coming out of fall camp, Hunter was expected to play a bigger part in the Rams offense, but it was Thomas who grabbed the reigns throughout the season. Thomas finished with 68 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with 14 receptions for 113 yards.

Don’t count out redshirt freshman Tyreese Jackson or true freshman Kyjuan Herndon. Both had great prep careers, with Herndon rushing for 1,836 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior year. The Rams have talent at the running back position, however, it remains to be seen if they can take advantage of that talent.

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